BISP undertakes survey

BISP undertakes survey ISLAMABAD: The government has initiated a nationwide survey to verify beneficiaries and include those eligible for financial assistance in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

Surveyors had started the pilot project phase in Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where fresh data of those receiving support was being prepared, names being deleted of those whose financial position had improved and names of those pushed below the poverty line being included in data bank. The survey will complete by 2018.

BISP chairperson MNA Marvi Memon chaired a meeting held on Thursday to review last year’s progress and discuss modus operandi of the new survey. Participants were informed that the first-ever survey on such a large scale was being undertaken through tablets to avoid inclusion and exclusion errors while deleting fake beneficiaries.

It was further told that the de-crediting and re-crediting policies for bank accounts of beneficiaries had been revised to ensure cash transfer to valid beneficiaries.

Currently more than 94 per cent payments are being made through technology-based payment mechanism.

Biometric-based payments have already been started in Larkana which will be expanded throughout Pakistan in a phased manner for more transparency.

The BISP, it was told, had achieved the target of 5.3 million eligible beneficiaries under the Unconditional Cash Transfer programme. The organisation had enrolled 1.3 million children in schools by June 2016 under the Waseela-i-Taleem programme and hoped to reach the target of two million by December.